Home US Map Reveals US Hotspots With High Levels of Radioactive Gas Linked to Cancer… Is Your Hometown in Danger?

Map Reveals US Hotspots With High Levels of Radioactive Gas Linked to Cancer… Is Your Hometown in Danger?

0 comments
A new map has found that up to 25 percent of Americans live in areas where radon levels are considered unsafe by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Radon levels up to or above the action level of 148 Bq/m³ were found at the red-colored locations

A new map has found that up to 25 percent of Americans live in areas where radon levels are considered unsafe by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Radon is a radioactive gas that has no color, odor or taste. It is ubiquitous in both indoor and outdoor air, but there is no known safe level of exposure to this harmful substance.

It results from the natural decay of uranium, a radioactive element found in almost all soils.

Studies show that radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S., after smoking, and leads to approximately 21,000 lung cancer deaths annually, according to the EPA.

Now, researchers across the U.S. have identified and mapped areas where radon levels are above the EPA’s “action level” of 148 Becquerels per cubic meter (Bq/m³), or the level at which the agency requires regulatory action.

The average outdoor radon concentration is about 15 Bq/m³, or one-tenth of the action level.

The Great Plains region appears to have the highest levels, especially around the Iowa-Nebraska-South Dakota border.

Northern Kansas, central Colorado, central Ohio and central Pennsylvania were also identified as radon hotspots.

A new map has found that up to 25 percent of Americans live in areas where radon levels are considered unsafe by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Radon levels up to or above the action level of 148 Bq/m³ were found at the red-colored locations

Some of these states – especially those in the upper Midwest – are known to have elevated concentrations of uranium in their soils, which may explain elevated radon levels.

But interestingly, the researchers also found that more than 83 million Americans live in homes with radon concentrations above 148 Bq/m³, even though they are in low-radon zones. This underlines the need for more comprehensive studies, they say.

The vast majority of radon exposure comes directly from the soil. As uranium breaks down in the soil and radon gas is released, that gas can enter homes and buildings through cracks in the foundation.

Over time it can accumulate to harmful concentrations in poorly ventilated areas, the researchers wrote in their report.

Once in the air, radon gas breaks down into small radioactive elements known as radon progeny.

These particles can lodge in the lining of the lungs and then release radiation, damaging lung cells and eventually leading to cancer, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

It can take years or even decades for lung cancer to develop from radon exposure alone. But most radon-related lung cancers develop in people who smoke, because exposure to radon increases the already increased risk of cancer.

According to the EPA, 62 in 1,000 smokers exposed to the action level of radon throughout their lives would develop lung cancer, while only seven in 1,000 nonsmokers would develop the disease.

In total, the study found that 9.7 million Americans live in areas with radon levels above 148 Bq/m³ in winter.

In total, the study found that 9.7 million Americans live in areas with radon levels above 148 Bq/m³ in winter.

During the summer, only 0.12 million Americans live in areas with radon concentrations above the action level

During the summer, only 0.12 million Americans live in areas with radon concentrations above the action level

Lung cancer is extremely deadly, accounting for approximately one in five of all cancer deaths in the US, according to the ACS.

In addition to identifying dangerous radon levels in the Great Plains region, the study also highlighted the significant variation between winter and summer radon levels.

“The highest monthly radon concentrations were typically found in winter, when ventilation is lower, due to energy conservation efforts during the heating season,” the researchers wrote in their report, published in the journal PNAS.

During these colder months, radon levels were significantly higher in northwestern Kansas, eastern Nebraska and South Dakota, southern Minnesota, and throughout Iowa and North Dakota.

Scattered locations in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado also had high winter radon levels, along with significant parts of central Ohio and eastern Pennsylvania.

Overall, the study found that 9.7 million Americans live in areas with radon levels above 148 Bq/m³ during this season, compared to just 120,000 in summer.

To create these maps, the researchers analyzed six million indoor radon measurements taken across the country between 2001 and 2021.

1737447099 758 Map Reveals US Hotspots With High Levels of Radioactive Gas

Lung cancer is an extremely deadly form of cancer, as it accounts for approximately one in five of all cancer deaths in the US, according to the ACS (STOCK).

They then used a machine learning model to estimate community-level monthly radon concentrations based on geological, meteorological, architectural and socio-economic factors.

If radon levels in your home are above the EPA’s action level, the agency strongly recommends sealing holes in your foundation, walls and floors to reduce radon entry into the home, adding ventilation to crawl spaces or under foundations to prevent radon build-up and Measures to improve indoor air circulation.

But the EPA notes that there is no truly safe level of radon exposure, so it is recommended to repair your home even if levels as low as 75 Bq/m³ are detected.

The researchers hope that “the high-resolution radon maps can be used by federal and local governments to design, update, and improve regulations,” they wrote.

‘Additionally, the model can be used to assess radon exposure in homes, facilitating studies to advance our understanding of radon’s health effects.’

You may also like